Lord Holy Sword is unreliable again.

[Biometric Scan: Name: Lu Qingyuan]

[Race Bloodline: Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, Bloodline Purity 37%]

[Combat Power Rating: Peak Foundation Establishment or Above]

Seeing Wang Hong staring at her without saying a word, Lu Qingyuan found it amusing and thought to herself: What a stingy guy. He's already given away this opportunity, and you still want it back?

Moreover, why do you want to take back my Nine-Tailed Bloodline?

Seeing the two gazing at each other affectionately, seemingly forgetting their current predicament, Qingxiang quickly said, "Congratulations, sister! Your future was already limitless, and now your bloodline has been further enhanced, making you..."

Lu Qingyuan glared at Qingxiang, stopping her from continuing. Qingxiang understood and changed the subject with a smile, "I wish you all the best in reaching the pinnacle, sister! Right now, all the elders, clan leaders, and young talents are gathered in Zixiao Tower. Sister, what should we do now?"

As Qingxiang spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Wang Hong. This seemingly simple-minded man was anything but simple; no wonder he caught the eye of the Heavenly Fox. Her father said he also had divine beast blood; she wondered if it was possible...

Lu Qingyuan waved her hand gently, and Number Eighteen's body suddenly shrank, turning into a ray of light that went straight into her brow.

Wang Hong was stunned on the spot, and hurriedly questioned the Holy Sword in his mind:

Didn't you say that it can only be freely stored within the body after full activation?

The holy sword remained unresponsive...

Lu Qingyuan pulled Qingxiang along and headed outside, saying as they walked, "Shi Nutian and Qingxiang have been inside for half an hour. We shouldn't delay; let's go check on the Iron Fox Guard first." Reaching the door, she saw Wang Hong still standing there, turned back, and coldly said, "Follow me!"

Wang Hong was full of questions and wanted to ask more about the bloodline enhancement, but since Qingxiang was there and Lu Qingyuan had left without looking back, he could only clear his throat, straighten his back, and follow her.

The bridal chamber is located in Lingyue Pavilion, in the eastern courtyard of the Lu family, which is the heart of the area.

A cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed towards him, causing Wang Hong to instinctively shrink his neck. The moment he looked up, he froze completely, even his breathing slowed down.

A bright moon shines high in the sky, and the ocean stars cast a deep blue halo, blending with the moonlight to create a cold, silvery-blue expanse.

As far as the eye could see, the palaces stretched out in clusters, resembling lurking giants under the moonlight.

The upturned eaves resemble the wings of a phoenix spreading its wings, and the thick white snow softens the sharp edges of the palace, making it even more elegant.

Looking again at the stone steps in front of the courtyard, one sees red felt reflecting the snow, its vibrant color tinged with cold. Even the gold and red "double happiness" characters pasted on the window frames are covered with snowflakes, making the whole courtyard feel festive.

The imposing grandeur of the noble mansion, and the snow-covered fairy palace that resembled an ancient painting, made Wang Hong momentarily forget that he was in a dangerous place, only feeling dazzled and mesmerized.

Lu Qingyuan found her bearings, turned to look at Wang Hong, and said, "Hey, let's go!"

Wang Hong composed himself and exclaimed, "What heavy snow!"

"A good omen!"

Lu Qingyuan looked at Wang Hong's country bumpkin appearance with a hint of mockery in her eyes, gave him a "I understand you" look, and then quickly flew north, skimming the ground.

Wang Hong was startled and quickly grabbed Qingxiang's clothes, who was about to take off. "Damn it, I can't fly!"

Qingxiang turned her head in confusion, only to be stared at by Wang Hong's burning gaze. Her pretty face flushed slightly. Sister Qingyuan had just left, what was Wang Hong up to?

Wang Hong looked at Qingxiang awkwardly, but swallowed his words back.

What to do? Say he can't fly? Let her carry him? He thought to himself: Lu Qingyuan, you know perfectly well that I'm just a mortal, yet you still fly so fast!

Lu Qingyuan returned, frowning as she looked at the awkward Wang Hong and the shy Qingxiang: "What are you doing?"

Wang Hong quickly stepped forward and whispered in her ear, "I can't fly! How can I keep up with you running so fast!"

Lu Qingyuan suddenly realized something and felt a little embarrassed, having momentarily forgotten that he was a mortal with no cultivation.

She remained expressionless, raising her hand and releasing a wisp of warm spiritual energy that gently enveloped Wang Hong and Qingxiang's waists. Turning to Qingxiang, she said, "Wang Hong cannot fly, so I will use my spiritual energy to carry you forward. Otherwise, things may change if we are too late."

Qingxiang nodded obediently, but her gaze toward Wang Hong held a hint of suspicion, and she secretly did not believe it.

On the way, Lu Qingyuan kept telling Wang Hong about the Lu family. Wang Hong didn't dare to speak rashly and could only silently memorize it with the Holy Sword.

"The Northern Fox Clan is a branch of the Spirit Fox Clan of the Eastern Divine Continent in the Northern Continent. There are three major families within the Northern Fox Clan. Among them, the Lu family is the most powerful. The other two families are not foxes, but rather vassal forces of the Lu family. In addition, there are many rogue cultivators who have submitted to them."

"Lu Feng, the head of the Lu family, has reached the peak of the Golden Core stage. The Lu family has two guard forces under its command: the Xuanhu Guard and the Tiehu Guard."

Wang Hong had already inquired about the relevant information of the Northern Fox Clan and the Qiongqi Clan through the Holy Sword, but the Holy Sword's reply was quite intriguing: "[Unable to provide such information]". It neither mentioned insufficient permissions nor that the data involved was blocked.

Presumably, the connection between the Flame and the Four Continents has been lost for millennia, hence the lack of relevant information!

"The Iron Fox Guards are responsible for various miscellaneous tasks within the clan. At this moment, the Northern Fox Clan is only able to rely on the Iron Fox Guards for defense."

"The stronger members of the Xuanhu Guards, except for a few who went out to train and cultivate, were all taken by the elders to the Zixiao Tower for a banquet. They attached great importance to the ceremony held by the Qiongqi Clan."

Lu Qingxiang picked up the conversation, a hint of disdain in her eyes, and chuckled, "These guys are treating the Qiongqi Clan like a powerful ally, trying to cling to them and show off their power."

Lu Qingyuan looked at Qingxiang and introduced her to Wang Hong, saying, "Qingxiang is the beloved daughter of Lu Feng, the patriarch of the Northern Fox Clan. She grew up in the Northern Fox Clan since childhood and is a very cute little white fox!"

"Wang Hong, my sister and I have such a connection, don't we?" Qingxiang said with a smile, her pretty face slightly flushed.

"Shi Nutian is a local rogue cultivator from Starship City. The Lu family spends a lot of money to regularly recruit rogue cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage. Shi Nutian is considered to have good luck and talent. Under the Lu family's training, he broke through to the peak of Foundation Establishment."

"On the surface, he is the commander of the family's Iron Fox Guard, but I know that he has long been secretly bribed by Chief Wang and has become his loyal lackey." Lu Qingyuan then changed the subject, "Chief Wang is the head of the Star Boat City Imperial Guard. He has an excellent reputation outside and is praised by all the clans for his upright and honest conduct."

"Imperial Guard? Starship City still has government troops?" Wang Hong couldn't help but mutter his doubts in a low voice.

Lu Qingyuan felt incredibly pleased. Wang Hong, you thought you were good at hiding things, but you're not so good at it after all!

Hmph, I'll pry your mouth open little by little and find out exactly where you come from!

She feigned surprise and questioned, "Wang Hong, don't you even know these most basic common sense things?"

Wang Hong remained calm and composed: "I'm just a greenhorn, a naive newcomer. My master would never discuss such trivial matters. It's perfectly normal that I don't know."

Yeah, right, I'd be a fool to believe you!

"Because the Dragon Emperor is the supreme ruler of the four continents, the Dragon Clan's influence is spread throughout the four continents, and powerful Dragon Clan members guard the major cities of each continent." Lu Qingyuan's lips curled into a mysterious smile, and he gave Wang Hong a "I understand" look.

"Although Beiju Luzhou is a chaotic place where various races divide their territory and govern themselves, Starship City still has government troops. The city lord is a powerful member of the Azure Dragon Clan, Qing Yan, with the cultivation of the peak of the Golden Core stage."

Hearing Lu Qingyuan recount the story of the Dragon Clan, Wang Hong felt uneasy. Lu Huaiyuan had once said that the Dragon Clan was his right-hand man, but those two, Wang Dutou and Tian Sha, were clearly not good people. How could such people be serving as captains in the Dragon Clan's Imperial Guard...?

Lu Zhiling, you are really unreliable!

"Looks like Qingyan isn't doing so well. You guys are fighting so fiercely, he probably doesn't even know what's going on."

Lu Qingyuan's lips twitched slightly: "Wang Hong, can you please stop talking nonsense! Lord Qingyan is the lord of a city, how can you and I presume to know his true nature?"

"Why is the Dragon Clan's Imperial Guard targeting you? And what about that Fiend, and the conspiracy you mentioned? What's the connection between all of these?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?!" Lu Qingyuan interrupted him impatiently. "Stop bothering me, I have other things to do!"

Lu Qingyuan continuously released her divine sense to probe her surroundings, and would avoid anyone patrolling if she detected them. With her peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, she could easily avoid them.

The only thing they needed to be careful of was the Golden Core stage elder they might unexpectedly encounter. Although the elders were all gathered in the Purple Cloud Tower at the moment, what if one of them ran out ahead of time?

At this moment, Wang Hong began to carefully study the Holy Sword.

The Holy Sword's energy originates from its embedded spiritual core, which can autonomously absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

However, Wang Hong was unable to activate the Holy Sword to actively absorb spiritual energy and convert it into spiritual source.

According to the Holy Sword, the spiritual energy core was not fully activated at this time, and the speed at which spiritual energy was absorbed was closely related to Wang Hong's cultivation level.

We can only wait until the Holy Sword is fully fused before we can see.

[Estimated time for complete fusion of the Holy Sword: 40 hours]

......

"The Iron Fox Guard's garrison is just ahead. They should all be resting in their barracks right now. The Iron Fox Guard is a force of 10,000 men, divided into ten battalions. Each battalion commander is at least at the Foundation Establishment stage. Shi Nutian is their commander."

Wang Hong was very curious about the prestige of the Foundation Establishment stage in the Four Continents Realm. Ten Foundation Establishment cultivators were required to command the Iron Fox Guard, which numbered in the tens of thousands.

The three of them quietly crept to the outer perimeter of the huge barracks, where they saw jars of fine wine lying haphazardly on the ground, and a group of lesser demons shouting and making a ruckus, either discussing where to have fun that night or boasting that they would drink the Qiongqi tribe under the table the day after tomorrow, showing no intention of taking any precautions.

"How could the defenses be so lax?"

"Wang Hong, my sister is the young clan leader. Ordinary clan members only think about the two families getting married and forming a powerful alliance. They never imagined that the dignified young clan leader was not marrying willingly."

"If Shi Nutian hadn't dragged me to my sister's room, I wouldn't have known that my sister already had someone she loved. The only ones who truly know the truth are probably the clan leader and a few elders."

Lu Qingyuan glanced at Wang Hong: "Stop talking nonsense! My relationship with him is purely professional!"

Qingxiang covered her mouth and smiled sweetly, giving Lu Qingyuan a look that said, "I understand you."

Wang Hong nudged Lu Qingyuan's arm and whispered, "Even if these Iron Fox Guards know you didn't marry willingly, they won't speak up for you, will they?"

Lu Qingyuan glanced at him sideways with her almond-shaped eyes, her face expressionless: "What do we do now?"

Wang Hong pulled Qingxiang along, head held high, without turning his head: "Watch carefully, learn well."

Lu Qingyuan wanted to stop them, but it was too late. She could only watch their backs with resentment.

"Lord Shi, what brings you here? Please come in quickly." Several Qi Refining demons, who were drinking merrily outside the gate, suddenly turned around and saw Lord Shi. Startled, they rushed forward with obsequious expressions, "Quickly, fill Lord Shi's cup with fine wine!"

"Full of your mother's head!" Wang Hong picked up a jar of wine from the ground and smashed it hard at the little demon's face! The jar grazed his ear, hit the wall, and shattered into pieces, splashing wine all over the little demon's head and face.

Wang Hong's face was fierce, but his fingers trembled slightly. Damn it, why is this wine jar so heavy!